Years ago, during my regular visits to my hometown of Stroudsburg, PA, mom got me connected with a local fitness group dubbed the “Mill Rats.” They meet every morning at the American Ribbon Factory to begin their group runs, or walks, or rides.
These people are amazing in their dedication to fitness at all levels. Most of my races are run with or encouraged by individuals connected to the group. Frank Brown is the runner closest to me in almost every facet of running. We are the same age, and over the years we have always finished races within a few places of each other.
As I mentioned in previous running updates, my mileage volume dropped for a variety of reasons. Conversely, Frank is running better than ever. His mileage is around 60 per week, and his weight is down to a svelte sub-22 Body Mass Index (BMI). At last year’s hometown Run for The Red Marathon he finished first in our age group in 3:15, a pace of 7:28 minutes per mile.
Now Frank has a realistic goal to accomplish something I had wanted for myself, but my relative lethargy prohibits. Frank hopes to achieve a top-ten age-group finish in the 2017 Boston Marathon on Patriots’ Day, Monday, April 17. To be truthful, I wanted to win the age-group, but Frank’s expressed goal is doable.
It has been eight years since my only Boston Marathon race, and it was one of my finest racing accomplishments. I ran the event as a team member of presenting sponsor John Hancock. They took good care of me throughout the event, and I believe they will do the same for Frank, as he accepted their invitation to run with this year’s Team Hancock.
Age-groupings typically span five-year periods, and this year Frank (and me) are the youngest members of our current age group. At our time of life, five years is starting to make a big difference in our capabilities. I will be happy to run the 10k in Temecula’s 30th annual Run Through the Vineyards on Saturday 29 April. If you would like to join me or do the 2k or 5k runs, here’s the registration link:
Whatever you love, keep moving as long as you are able!
TRACKING #1-590530